Running
by iloveluke1222
Summary: After he saves Han from Jabba the Hutt, Luke Skywalker is tested by the Alliance in a mission that could be the turning point for the Galactic Civil War. However, this mission not only threatens Luke as a Jedi, but also as a son. Rated T for mild torture


**A/N:This story is kind of a 'what if…' scenario that I had an idea about. It changes a lot of thing, but you won't realize that until later. This is right after Luke, Han, and Leia defeat Jabba the Hutt, however Luke is sent on another mission before the attack on the death star. **

**Later, this may seem like it would take a few more chapters, but I'm leaving it up to your imagination as to what happens next. I know it's lazy of me, but I'm not clever enough to figure out what happens next, actually. So anyway, **_**I do not own any part of Star Wars**_**. If I did, I would be filthy stinking rich and not wasting an entire day thinking about this and writing this…but anyway, enjoy…**

**And btw, everytime it says STARWARSISAWESOME, that means the scene changed. Sorry about that, but it was the only thing that would stay. **

Running.

It wasn't always the easiest thing to do, but it was the only option other than being captured. And Luke Skywalker would _not_ give up that easily.

The assignment was easy enough—find and retrieve the plans for the second death star. The hard part: he was completely on his own. The rebels would not have sent him into a deathtrap though; the Bothans found a hidden location that was holding one of five death star plans throughout the galaxy. This small moon was perfect for a secret. It was lush, with forests covering most of the planet. The Imperial Base was hidden underground, too.

However, the Empire didn't count on the rebels finding out about it.

So they sent their best man.

Nothing is ever easy, especially when one is on their own; however, the base wasn't heavily guarded, giving Luke a definite advantage. He got in trouble-free, but upon leaving the underground base, he was greeted with a fleet of star destroyers about to land. Apparently one of the victims sent a distress call before Luke had ended his life.

From that point, Luke decided that the odds were against him, and he took his chances with running.

He didn't run to his x-wing, though. He ran the other direction. He knew he wasn't going to get back to his x-wing: he was running out of steam, and one man, however force-sensitive he might be, could not take on a fleet of star destroyers.

Luke leaned heavily on the force to keep his balance. There were many things he could have tripped over, but tripping was not an option. _Falling_ was not an option. He could hear commands shouted far behind him, and the sound of blaster fire filled his ears. About ten feet ahead of him, a lazy shot hit the tree, however, this shot wasn't the standard red blaster fire that came from normal Stormtroopers.

It was blue—stun bolts.

Luke didn't want to stop, but he flicked his glance behind them to see that he was pretty far away. Was Vader here? Could he feel Luke's presence?

Another bolt whizzed past his ear, and he narrowly avoided it, dodging it, and rolling to the ground.

"Stang," he cursed, looking at his now-sprained ankle. He now fully looked behind him. Sitting here was wasting his time, but it was hard finding the strength to stand up.

He rolled casually to hide under a bush. He tried his best to completely hide himself, and then he focused his attention on the plans he had in his hand. He turned on his comlink.

"Artoo?" He half-whispered. He heard a chirp in reply. "I'm going to send you the plans, but I won't be back in time to leave. You have to take them and the x-wing back to the Alliance as fast as you can, and try to avoid the Imperials." He cut off the comlink sharply, not wanting Artoo to protest, as he usually did. He started to transfer and send the plans, but it was taking an unusually long time. "Come on…" he muttered, looking around. The commands and blaster fire grew steadily closer, and soon, it seemed like they were on top of him.

He heard a commander snap, "Where did he go?" He could hear the distinct sound of the Stormtroopers' armor clanking against each other.

Luke looked down at the plans. Almost there…

"Split up and find him. Stop standing around like a bunch of idiots! Lord Vader will not be pleased." The commander yelled, fear evident in his last sentence.

Vader? Luke's eyes snapped up, and he looked toward the sky. He could see a star destroyer sitting close to the ground, but that couldn't be the _Executor_, could it?

The plans in his hand beeped, and he noticed they had been successfully transferred to Artoo. About that time, his x-wing went flying overhead at full speed. He breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the now empty file that had previously held the turning point of the civil war.

"Freeze! Hands up!" A gruff voice called directly behind him. He could feel the tip of a blaster at the back of his head.

He, once again, had two options. He could either kill this Stormtrooper, and put off what was bound to happen sooner or later, or give in and get it over with.

He slowly stood up and turned around to face the Stormtrooper, hands at the same level as his eyes.

After a second the Stormtrooper took a step back. "You—you're Skywalker."

Luke blinked, and watched as the Stormtrooper cocked his weapon and fired, bringing unconsciousness quickly, without pain.

STARWARSISAWESOME

"We have captured him, my Lord." Piett said, standing next to the second most-powerful man in the galaxy.

"And the plans?" Vader replied smoothly.

Piett held up the data chip. "Once we searched around all we found was this—an empty file. A survivor of the attack confirmed it held the plans."

Vader took the chip, studied it for a moment, and then abruptly handed back to Piett. "Where is this rebel?"

Piett shifted nervously. "He is being held on the planet, my Lord."

Vader turned around, and motioned for Piett to follow him. He walked quickly to the docking bay which held his personal shuttle. "Have we identified this rebel?"

"We have no exact identification, but many troopers are convinced that he is Luke Skywalker."

Vader stopped suddenly, and Piett wasn't expecting it. Piett almost bumped into Vader, but was thankful he caught himself. "Is something wrong, my Lord?"

Vader wasn't paying attention to him. He searched through the force for his son's presence, and within seconds, found his usually-bright force aura, however, this time it was cloudy and dim. He continued to walk. "No." They continued in silence, and when they reached the shuttle, Vader turned to Piett. "Prepare a torture chamber for when I return with Skywalker."

Piett nodded. "And what dosage do you want?"

"Ten," Vader replied, and stalked up into the shuttle.

Ten? Ten was the highest you could go, and to this day, had never been used on anyone, or anything. That amount could paralyze, or even kill a normal person. Piett shook his head and started to do what Vader asked.

But Luke Skywalker was not a normal person, Piett was sure of that, and he knew Vader was, also.

STARWARSISAWESOME

Luke opened his eyes slowly as two Stormtroopers stood above him. He was immediately flooded with the dark presence of Darth Vader, and he shivered. He was lifted up, and he stood, flanked by two troopers. They put iron manacles on his wrists behind his back, and he stifled a small chuckle. Vader must have told them to stop tying up a Jedi with normal handcuffs.

Luke smiled a bit, and was led out of his cell and into a long hallway that was filled with Stormtroopers. "That's a lot of Stormtroopers for one guy." He mumbled.

"Quiet!" Was the reply from the Stormtrooper to his left, however, he sensed the amusement of the Stormtrooper to the right. Apparently, he agreed with Luke.

They finally reached the door at the end of the hallway, and as one of the Stormtroopers went to open it, Luke knew who was waiting for him on the other side of the door.

Luke instantly lost his smile as he was engulfed in Vader's dark side energy. His breath came out shortly, and he felt as if he was drowning in a pool of darkness. The door slid open and Vader at first had his back to him, but when he heard the door, he turned around.

In that moment, Luke was afraid.

Destroying a Death Star? No fear. Countless supply runs against Imperial Frigates? No fear. Facing Vader on Bespin? Some ounce of fear, but it was focused on saving his friends. Taking on an entire Imperial Base in order to find a document that would turn the tide of this civil war? No fear.

But now, pushed to his knees, as if to kneel, in front of his self-proclaimed father, who wanted nothing more in life but to turn Luke to the dark side, Luke was afraid.

The trooper to his left stepped slightly in front of Luke. "This is the rebel we captured. The only weapon he had was this." He handed Luke's newly made lightsaber over to Vader, who hung it on his belt, next to his red one.

Nothing in the galaxy now existed except for him and Vader. Vader spoke, "Luke."

"Vader." He replied. Nothing else was said, but everything else was intended.

Vader gestured to his guards. One grabbed Luke gruffly on the shoulder, the other kept watch behind Luke. "Take him to the shuttle."

STARWARSISAWESOME

Once the shuttle landed on the star destroyer, Luke had realized that it was the _Executor_ that he had seen. The guards walked him down the ramp, and he received weird, and angry, looks as he was led to what he thought at first was a high-tech cell. He was wrong.

The guards took off his iron manacles, and Luke was relieved, until he saw another pair bolted to the wall. He inwardly groaned, and once again, Luke was manacled; only this time, he was standing against a wall. The two guards gave each other a look, and then they both smiled and left.

Luke looked around, knowing full well what this room was now. He knew it was coming, but hadn't expected it so soon.

He wondered if Vader would oversee his own son's torture. That would be laughable.

His question was answered as the door slid open slowly, revealing Vader, and a flying droid behind him. From Leia's grueling descriptions, he knew all-too-well what it was.

Vader took a step forward, and Luke knew that Vader hadn't come to oversee it—he came to do it.

By the look on Luke's face, Vader knew what he was thinking. "We don't have to do this, Luke. If you tell me where those plans are, I will stop."

Luke found his voice. "Something tells me you wouldn't stop."

Vader shrugged, and flicked his finger to an officer who had also entered. The officer tapped a button on the droid, and it injected Luke.

He screamed.

STARWARSISAWESOME

After hours of torture, Skywalker had fully resisted the power of Vader, who had steadily gotten more frustrated with the individual with each passing dosage that was given to him. Skywalker had gotten a hint weaker, but that was after hours and hours of merciless pain. Vader still could not break the barrier that was around his son's thoughts. But he was growing impatient.

"Where are those plans?" Vader repeated the words to his captor, who only smiled and returned his gaze.

"You take me for an idiot, _my Lord_."

If he had not been angry at the moment, he would of felt proud of the boy—he was in fact the only one, other than that princess, who had ever resisted Vader himself, and even then, he hadn't tortured the princess that long. Luke was definitely his son, and part of him wanted to smile at the fact that this beaten, bruised Jedi had not been broken—yet.

Vader gestured to the officer, and a needle dug its way into the rebel's arm. The rebel screamed in agony and Vader circled him, like a hawk stalking its prey.

"You know I don't want to do this, but I need to know what you did with those technical readouts." He put emphasis on the last part as he clasped his hands behind his back and stopped in front of the rebel.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the rebel said, his blue eyes drifting dangerously over to the medical droid with the next dosage of his torture. His eyes came back to look at the dark lord in front of him, right as a slap echoed through the room. Although it didn't hurt physically, Vader got his point across.

"Don't make me—" Vader started.

"Don't make you, what? Kill me?" The rebel dared with his eyes. "'Cause I'll happily accept that."

Vader gestured to the officer, and once again another dosage oozed its way into the rebels arm. His screams echoed throughout the chamber. The officer cringed, something he usually didn't do. He had done this a lot-torture people. But none were as long or as horrifying as this one. He looked at the rebel, bruised and almost broken.

This is the one Vader had wanted. Skywalker, was his name? Vader had been searching for years, and up until now, he hadn't realized just how valuable Skywalker had been. But now, now he understood full well that Skywalker had changed the tide of this war, and that, without him, the rebels were virtually defeated.

"The plans, the—," Skywalker was breathing heavily and was barely clinging to consciousness.

Vader stepped dangerously close. "Where?"

Skywalker then did something completely unexpected. He smiled, "They're already gone. The rebellion has them now."

"NO!" Vader grabbed the rebel's neck with one of his gloved hands and slammed him against the wall behind him. The rebel's eyes shown fear, and the officer looked away, knowing what came next.

Bu surprisingly, Vader dropped Skywalker onto the ground and took a step back. He gestured to the officer, who turned to reload the syringe, but Vader said, "No. Take him to the medical ward. Have him treated."

The officer nodded; however, there was surprise in his gaze.

With one last look at Luke, he stalked out of the torture chamber.

Once he was gone, Luke's strength faded, and he slowly fell into unconsciousness.

STARWARSISAWESOME

Luke opened his eyes. There were lights everywhere. He tried to shade his vision, but, once again, his arms were bolted to the sides of the bed he was laying in. "Do you really think I'm going to run away that much?" He mumbled to himself, not expecting a reply.

But there was one. "Yes," Vader started as he casually slid open the door to the infirmary and walked in, "I think you would bolt at the first chance you had." Luke stopped his struggle against the binders that held his hands, and now, he noticed, his feet also. "I see you're finally awake."

Luke found the strength to roll his eyes. "No, I'm just a figment of your imagination."

"You're hilarious."

Luke smirked. "I know."

Vader watched him. "I'm glad to see your humor hasn't left you throughout everything that has happened." He replied sarcastically.

"Humor is one of the only things still keeping me going." Luke chose his next words carefully, "That and the fact that my own flesh and blood tortured me."

"So you've accepted the truth?"

"I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father."

Vader took a dangerous step forward. "That name no longer has any meaning to me."

Luke glared right back up at him. "It is the name of your true self, you've only forgotten." He spoke slowly, with much conviction in his voice. "I know there is good in you."

"I'm afraid you're wrong." Vader countered.

Luke shook his head. "You stopped."

"I stopped what, exactly?"

"You didn't kill me. You got the information you wanted and could have easily rid the galaxy of your master's only threat in the universe. But. You. Stopped."

"You're useful to me. The fact that you are the only threat gives me an advantage, if you turn to the dark side." Vader crossed his arms over his chest, sure he had proved a point.

"But. You . Stopped. If you'd kept torturing me, I could have easily been broken. And with time, I would have turned. I know it, you know it. But you prolonged it. You stopped." Luke watched with amusement as Vader didn't reply.

They watched each other for a while. Suddenly, an officer stepped through the door. "My Lord, we're about to land."

Vader never looked at him. "Thank you, Admiral."

The admiral did a slight bow, and then walked away. Luke recognized him from holos he had studied. "Piett?" He asked Vader, who nodded in turn. "Where are we landing?"

Vader studied him closely. "Coruscant." There was no reaction from Luke, so Vader continued. "I have a small fortress in the northern hemisphere, a half-planet away from Imperial City." Luke nodded, and Vader once again continued, "The Emperor is off planet." Luke's eyebrows rose, but he said nothing.

With that, the binders around his wrists and ankles opened, and Luke sat up and swung his legs around to hang down. He rubbed his wrists.

"How long was I out?" He asked.

"A couple of days."

Luke looked at him, surprise written in his eyes. His eyebrows rose for a moment, and then fell back down. "I'll have someone bring you fresh clothes." Vader started. He turned and started to leave.

"And then what?" Luke asked.

Vader half turned, stared at Luke for a moment, and then left.

Luke sighed.

STARWARSISAWESOME

Luke was busy trying to adjust his collar when Vader reentered.

"You're ready, I expect?" Vader asked.

Luke sighed, angry at the collar of the Imperial grade tunic. He dropped his hands and nodded. However uncomfortable the tunic was, the black color of the fabric actually suited him. He wasn't into fashion; he really didn't care. But something about the black made him seem more…more…something. He couldn't explain it. Maybe it was the symbolism—wearing black could mean that he was accepting the fact that Vader, who was notorious for wearing black, was a part of him. Wearing black could also mean that even though he was of the light, he wasn't afraid of the dark. He couldn't place it, but something about black made him feel right.

But the tunic was uncomfortable. He knew he shouldn't complain, but even the rebellion spent a little more money on their clothing. That's probably why they weren't the Empire, he decided.

"Follow me," Vader said shortly. As they walked through the depressing hallways of the Executor, Luke received a plethora of dirty looks. He tried to ignore them, but he couldn't. He didn't know what they could possibly have against him, until he thought about it.

When he had destroyed the death star, even he was willing to admit that he had killed millions of innocent people. And those millions of innocent people had families. They had husbands, wives, children, fathers, mothers, and countless friends.

And they wanted revenge.

How would it look if Luke took over the Empire next to Vader's side then? Most people would turn on them…

…and go running to the Alliance.

It wasn't exactly a bad idea, but Luke was sure there was a better one. He bit back a smile as they finally reached their destination.

He followed Vader down a ramp and saw that Admiral Piett was waiting at the bottom. Once Vader and Luke got to the bottom, Vader walked by Piett, and Piett started to follow him as Luke was already.

"The Emperor demands that you make contact with him as soon as possible," The Admiral told Vader. Piett kept slipping looks toward the non-restrained rebel that was following Vader closely.

"Any other activity I should know about?" Vader replied.

Piett was now fully cautious of Skywalker, knowing what he was capable of. He had in fact, escaped from Vader once, and he could do it again…

"He won't run away." Vader snapped, and Piett clenched his jaw tighter. Luke simply smiled.

"You may think so, my Lord, but I am only worried about—," Piett stammered.

"You shouldn't worry about him; he is not your business." Vader never slowed down, and they entered the palace. "Anything else I should hear of?"

"Yes," Piett started, "a rebel spy was found and executed, my Lord. He was found sulking in an area he was not permitted, and he admitted to being a rebel."

Vader and Skywalker stopped in unison. Vader whirled on Skywalker, pointing a finger. "Have you heard anything about this?"

Luke simply shrugged. "I don't care about spies, and even if I did, the Supreme Commanders would never tell us who they are." He rolled his eyes, "So, no, I haven't heard anything about this, _my Lord_." Piett could hear the sarcasm leaking from his voice, but Vader continued walking. There was silence until they reached the turbolift.

Before he stepped into the lift, Vader turned to Piett. "Return to the _Executor_, Admiral. I have some business to conduct, but I should be back there within the day."

Luke wondered why he only spoke singularly, but Piett merely bowed, and with a final glance at Luke, he left. Vader entered the lift, and Luke followed. They were both quiet until the lift door opened and Luke found himself stepping into a massive control room, with people working everywhere. He took it all in, but still followed Vader, who walked straight through it all.

Vader stopped and looked up to the giant screen in front.

"Is that…?" Luke muttered.

"Yes," Vader said.

A live view of the construction of the second Death Star stood before them. It was about a third of the way finished, but Luke didn't need it to be done to see what it would become. It was majestic, ten times the size of the first one, and by the looks of it, virtually indestructible.

For a minute, he stopped breathing. How the hell would the Alliance destroy this one?

Vader finally spoke, "I hope you haven't run out of power, Luke, because it's going to take a lot to destroy this one." Luke couldn't help but feel the amusement in his tone.

Luke faced Vader and gave him the coldest look he could muster. "I will never, ever, run out, so long as there is air in my lungs and blood in my veins."

Vader hadn't meant for the statement to affect him as it did, but nevertheless, Vader knew what he said was genuine, and for the first time in a long time, he felt disappointed.

Luke sighed and crossed his hands over his chest. "But something tells me I won't make it back to the Alliance before they attack."

"You better not."

Luke gave him a sidelong look. "Why not? You don't think I'll run away, do you?"

"Let's just say that they're in for a surprise." That's all Vader said before he turned to leave again.

"Surprise? What do you mean?" Luke followed as Vader stepped through more rooms and hallways.

"You don't think I'd let you send the plans to them that easily?"

"A man can hope." Luke muttered.

Vader didn't stop walking. "The Emperor has planned to have almost all of the Imperial Fleet waiting for their little attack." They stopped in a room with a window that overlooked the beautiful Manarai Mountains and part of the Imperial Palace. Luke looked in horror at Vader, who finally stopped to turn and face him. "I will be leaving soon to go oversee the final construction of the Death Star, however, you will stay here and wait for the Alliance to slowly, and painfully, be destroyed." Vader waited to see Luke's response, but all he did was walk up to the window that covered one wall.

Vader slowly retreated to the opposite wall, where he touched a tile, and a keypad appeared from nowhere. "Was this you're plan all along?" Luke asked, agony apparent in his voice.

"No," Vader said as he keyed in a code. The wall opened up to reveal various different types of weapons. "But stumbling upon you made it better. The Alliance was stupid to get rid of you so easily." He took Luke's lightsaber, which was hanging on his belt, and set it in a pre-determined area, and then shut the case, making it invisible again. He turned back to where Luke was, careful not to show what he had been doing, but all he saw were Luke's eyelids shut over his baby blue eyes, so similar to his own. He could feel Luke's anguish, distrust, and fear through the force, but he could also sense something hidden, a secret of some sort. He didn't care; once Luke had joined him, he would know what he was thinking. Luke wouldn't be able to hide anything.

Luke looked up at his reflection in the window, and then turned to Vader. "You're leaving now?" Vader nodded, and said nothing further. Luke took a couple of steps to him, "You may win this battle, but so long as I'm alive, I will always fight, always defy, and always hate you, _Father_." He said it with disgust.

Vader had no reply. He gestured with his hand, and two red guards stood by the door. "Until I am back you may not leave this chamber. There is a 'fresher and bed in the next room, but there is no chance you'll escape. You don't have your lightsaber, these guards aren't weak-minded, and could very well take you down if you dare defy them, and that window is virtually indestructible, and even if you do happen to break it, there is no way to survive the fall."

Luke was about to protest, when a ringing sound echoed in his ears, and his head hurt horribly. He fell to his knees and put his hands over his ears. "That won't help, Luke. Ysalamiri repel the force, thereby taking it away from anyone within a certain distance. So, there is no way for you to escape." Luke looked up at him with hatred, but with a flow of his cape, Vader walked away, the doors closing behind him.

Luke stood up slowly, the ringing never leaving his ears. He looked around for the place where Vader had stored his lightsaber. Vader, apparently, had not realized Luke had been watching him through his reflection in the window. Thankful he was next to a wall where the red guards could not see him, Luke pressed the exact tile Vader had touched. He thanked the force a thousand times over he had a good memory, even without the force. The keypad slid out, and Luke typed in the first thing that came into his mind. He smiled when the wall opened, revealing all the different types of weapons Vader had collected throughout the years.

He reached up and grabbed his lightsaber. He turned to go kill the guards when he spotted a dart gun. An idea sprung in his head. He'd always been good with a blaster, right? How would this be any different.

He quietly edged to the side of the wall. The two red guards probably thought he had gone into the room, but he couldn't tell. There was still ringing in his ears. He took a few deep breaths, then turned around the wall and fired the gun twice: one time at each of the guards' necks. The both fell down, surprised at his sudden appearance.

Luke approached them slowly, checking their pulse. But they were both dead before they hit the ground. Luke looked left at that moment, and saw a cage with some sort of animal inside of it. Vader had a pet? But as he got closer and closer, the ringing in his ears grew stronger and stronger.

This was the Ysalamir Vader was talking about that repelled the force. Luke took the gun, aimed it at the creature, fired—and instantly knew what he did wrong.

The force came flooding back into him. But, without the force for the past ten minutes, it took him too long to find his strength again and cut himself off from Vader. Vader's presence came flooding back to him. He could feel the surprise at first, but that quickly turned into panic at what was inevitable.

Luke knew he only had five minutes. Vader would find a way to get back in half the time he got there.

Luke stopped and thought about what he should do next. He thought about just opening the entrance, but thought against it. A glint of an orange sunset caught his eye, and he turned to the window.

He had the force and a lightsaber now. Would the force help him if he fell?

He already had his mind made up. He went back to the weapon case and picked up a few more interesting looking weapons and hooked them to his belt. They might come in handy later.

He ran to the window, turned on his lightsaber, and relished the sweet _snap-hiss_ that came with it. He swept the lightsaber across the window, and the glass went flying in a million tiny pieces into the crisp air of the evening. It got windy, and Luke found himself using the force to not slip and fall.

He gathered the strength to jump when he heard the door opening behind him, and he turned to see Vader come running in the room. He saw Vader take a quick glance at his weapon case, the dead guards, and Ysalamir.

"You don't know what you're doing," he yelled, his voice heard over the wind in the room.

Luke looked behind him and down the fifty floors to the ground. "I always know what I'm doing."And with that he fell back out of the window.

"LUKE!" He heard behind him.

He turned himself around. With the force he pushed people out of the way where he was going to land. About five seconds later, he landed on his feet and retained his balance.

People in the busy street cried out in horror, but Luke didn't have time for them. He pushed them out of the way, and set off at a run, so he could get as far away as possible from this place.

He covered his force aura, as to hide himself from Vader's angry presence, and kept running.

It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it was the only option.

STARWARSISAWESOME

Some hours later, Luke sat at a bar sipping something strong. He was in the heart of Imperial center, and it was all too ironic. But no one at this place would notice him. There were courtesans everywhere, and men talking to them. Luke was disgusted at it all, but all he needed was to rest before he left the next morning on a ship he had bought, oddly enough, with money he had taken from Vader's fortress. He knew it would come in handy. He stood up to leave, and left all the credits and a tip on the bar.

He pulled his hood up once he exited the bar. There were people kissing by the exit, and Luke pushed past them casually. He hurried as fast as he could back to the cargo ship, similar to the _Millennium Falcon_ Han flew. They had just rescued Han when Mon Mothma had pulled Luke aside and asked him to go on this mission. He knew what it entailed, he was glad that it happened, but he had to return before too many people grew suspicious of Mon Mothma's cautious view of the attack.

No one else had known exactly where Luke was going, or why. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was what only Luke knew.

He walked up the boarding ramp and closed it. He went to the Captain's quarters, laid down, and tried to get comfortable, but to no avail. He still had bruises where Vader had tortured him. He knew it would happen—it was part of the plan. But the torture was extensive; it had knocked a Jedi out for days.

Still, Luke found some way to find rest.

STARWARSISAWESOME

"What are your passengers?" The voice from the comm asked sharply.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Like I said before, it's just me, and I'm human."

"What is your destination?"

Luke sighed. "Sullust."

There was a long silence, and then the speaker said, "You are cleared to leave."

Luke breathed a breath of relief, and then quickly flew away. He punched in the codes for hyperspace, and pushed the stick forward. Blue lines appeared from everywhere, and Luke sat back in his chair, glad it was all finally over.

STARWARSISAWESOME

"The plans, provided by Commander Skywalker, show that the second Death Star is protected by a shield, generated from the nearby forest moon of Endor." Mon Mothma continued. "Only once the shield is destroyed can our fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knockout the main reactor."

"But why have we been waiting?" General Nadine asked, searching the audience as if for an answer. Mon Mothma had called this meeting for Commanders and up for the Alliance to discuss the new Death Star, and many people were in attendance, including Han Solo and Princess Leia.

Whispers flowed through the chamber as Mon Mothma looked to Admiral Ackbar for help.

"It's like she won't attack without Luke." Han muttered, leaning close to Leia.

Leia shook her head, "As much as I want him back, we have other experienced fighters who could take down the battle station." She sighed and looked up at him. "I'm with Nadine this time. I want to know what we are waiting for. If we had already attacked, this war might be over."

Their conversation was interrupted by a shout from General Nadine, who was now fuming. "If we don't attack soon, the Imperials will get suspicious of us. The time for out attack has come!"

He was shouting at Mon Mothma as a cry of agreement was heard from several other generals. Mothma only shook her head, keeping calm. "Running to destroy it would only deepen the problem."

"Problem?" He scoffed. "And how would that 'deepen' the problem?"

"Because we'd be running into a trap."

The voice came from nowhere, but the instant it was spoken, the conviction in his voice made Leia turn and find him immediately, and her heart swelled. "Luke."

He had come in a side door, and briefly glanced at Leia before going to stand beside Mon Mothma. He'd changed a lot; there were more scars, and Leia couldn't bring herself to imagine what Vader had put him through. He no longer wore a standard tan tunic, but a black one with a dangerous looking cape billowing behind him. It looked strangely right. He seemed older, for some reason, although he hadn't been gone for a long time.

A whisper had started again throughout the chamber, but Han and Leia couldn't find a voice to make a conversation. They were too happy.

"When I returned from helping save Han from Jabba," Luke started, "Mon Mothma pulled me aside to ask me to help confirm a suspicion that a spy had tipped to Mothma. This theory demanded all of my strength. When I was sent to retrieve the death star plans, unbeknownst to everyone, the rebellion had already had the plans." A shock reverberated through the room, but Luke continued, "My job was to intentionally be captured by Vader in order to find out if this theory was real. I was captured, tortured, and eventually taken to Vader's fortress on Coruscant, where he proved the theory correct, and told me of his and the Emperor's entire plan. Sure I wouldn't escape, he left for the Death Star. However, I jumped out of a window fifty stories high and came running as soon as I could." Another whisper echoed through the room, but still he continued. "This theory, tipped by a rebel spy, said that the Emperor had intentionally given us the plans, and was waiting for us to strike with the entire Imperial fleet behind him." Luke looked at each one of them in turn. "And he was right. They are waiting, as I speak, for us to run into their little trap. What they didn't see coming was me telling the Alliance." He looked back to Mon Mothma, who in turn looked to Admiral Ackbar once again, who nodded.

Mon Mothma stepped forward. "Prepare all the frigates, fighters, everything. For tomorrow, we take over Coruscant."

Madness erupted around her, and even Luke was surprised at their plan. But, people started to see reason, and started to leave, eager for the battle awaiting them.

He stepped down off the dais and was instantly attacked by a princess. She hugged him tightly and wouldn't let go. "Why didn't you tell us?" She sounded angry.

Luke pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I couldn't risk it." He smiled and saw Han walk up behind Leia.

"Well did you know about Coruscant?" Han asked him casually as he put a hand on Luke's shoulder.

Luke shook his head. "No. It surprised me just as much as you."

"We were worried about you." Han said, and the look in Leia's eyes agreed with him. "Why would you put yourself in danger like that?"

Luke shrugged. "I had to, and not just for the alliance."

"For who else?" Leia asked.

Luke was quiet for a moment. "I had to talk to him." His voice was barely above a whisper, and neither Han nor Leia had to ask who "he" was.

Not wanting to discuss the topic further, they started to lead Luke toward the _Falcon_. "So how did you get away?" Leia asked him casually.

Luke smiled wryly. "I ran."

_Fin_

**A/N: This may seem like it should be longer, but I felt like writing the rest of it could take a very very long time. So it's really your imagination as to what happens next. Luke, Han, and Leia die in a tragic accident that involves C3PO cooking them poison? That sounds weird, but if that's what you want to happen, go for it. I felt like buying you a new sandbox was better than making you watch me play in your sandbox. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this. **


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